Ellen Hollman Official

Month: April 2013

Hey guys, Ellen here! Or by those closest to me to it’s Elle, Ellie, Elliebell, El-train, E-bomb, Elbow, Elge,’ Elf, or Hurricane Ellen. I’m the type of girl who dives head first to see how deep the water really is, hearing ‘No’ means try harder, and the only settings I operate on are ‘go’ and ‘go faster.’ You could say my goal in life is to squeeze as many awe inspiring moments as I can while I’m still kicking, in case this is the only shot I get at it. This being said, here are a few of my favorite things:

My Favorite cities are NYC & LA. NYC for its expedient, no BS nature and LA because the sun sets a few blocks from my house…

My favorite way to unwind after a crazy day is to play chef. That’s right, throwing on an apron and being semi-domestic keeps me in touch with my feminine side, and gives me an excuse to spend hours at Trader Joes.

In 2008, I became CEO of Visual Impact Now, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing in need LA youth with eye exams and glasses. Managing 1,000 kids for a week long clinic is quite a productive hobby!

When I’m not galloping along the beach with my honey and seeking a more intense workout, my fave workout haven is True Warrior Fitness. Toby Tigerheart helped me get into Saxa warrior shape for Spartacus.

I spend quality time at Hot8Yoga: nothing kicks your ass more than a 100 degree room with weights and ballet!

My favorite place to eat is Kabuki Sushi in Hollywood, best happy hour EVER

I love beautiful Kauai. Any place where you can sip Mai Tais, zip line through a rainforest, and hike to a waterfall within an hour is my kind of paradise.

I was raised by two classical musicians and by default it’s my favorite genre. My mother a master pianist and my father a concert violinist. Here’s a link to the acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra, it will make you smarter just by listening!

My favorite show is Spartacus: War of the Damned. I had the honor and privilege of portraying the first ever born and bred female warrior Saxa. It was an experience of a lifetime working in New Zealand with all the gladiators!

Ouch Magazine: Ellen you’re from the midwest – what makes a man or a woman sexy? How was the transition from Michigan to LA culturally for you?

Confidence, a sense of humor and good manners to boot are alluring on any man or woman. After transitioning to LA from the good ol’ midwest, those particular qualities are hard to find in a trio.

Ouch Magazine: This is the Hot Body issue and we chose you for the cover because you have one of the hottest bodies in Hollywood! Can you let the readers know how they can achieve a healthy body like yours? Walk us through a day in the life of your exercise routine.

Aww, thanks guys! Plenty of blood, sweat and tears go into being a German warrior for two seasons. This includes MMA, knife training and hot yoga with weights 5 days a week. Keeping a challenging and unique array of exercise is good way to ensure you wont bore yourself out of being fit. Nutrition is just as important, you’ve got to feed the machine well if you want to build lean muscle. Skinny girls can’t conquer Roman empires.

Ouch Magazine: Ok, what types of food do you avoid? What foods are life savers, with your busy schedule?

I avoid anything fried or smothered in dressing. Keeping a diet balanced in protein, carbs(yes, carbs) and good fats will ensure I don’t crash in between 14 hr days of shooting crazy fight sequences. A Luna bar slapped with almond butter and a coffee is my perfect pick me up.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but in Spartacus: Vengeance , it’s smokin’ hot. Proof? The show’s April 1-born star Ellen Hollman (a.k.a. Saxa) gives us the sword-, scandal-, and sex-filled lowdown.

Ellen Hollman has been a TV regular for years, and you’ve seen her in everything from Malcolm in the Middle to The O.C. to Weeds. She caught our eye in Spartacus and we couldn’t get enough till we tracked her down.

Maxim: Spartacus is a total guy-friendly series. What’s your favorite part about shooting the series, now that you’ve done two?

Ellen: Doing my own stunts and choreographing my own fight scenes. I did a lot of knife training with reverse-grip double daggers. You take two daggers, reverse the grip, and then just fuck shit up, basically.

Maxim: Nice. We also hear you had to flip a 100-kg dude over your head in a scene. How was that?

Ellen: My life may or may not have flashed before my eyes a few times. I was a thrill, though.

Maxim: Glad we didn’t have to do it. Has there been anything on the show you were glad you didn’t have to do?

Ellen: Oh, yeah. My character has dabbled in just about every graphic category across the board, but some people got it worse in the vulgarity department than I did.

Maxim: We hear you. We had Katrina Law–who plays Mira–on our pages some months ago and she felt the same way. For an actor, how does a show like Spartacus compare with other shows or movies that you’ve done?

Ellen: Spartacus stands alone in that it’s like shooting a movie every three weeks for seven months straight. I’ve never experienced anything in my life that’s quite like it.

Maxim: Neither have your fans and the general television-viewing audience. The show has some kick-ass ladies–you know, tough and hot. How has your character, Saxa, evolved over the course of the series?

Ellen: Saxa has gone from feisty kitten to fierce lioness. She’s grown into her paws and is bigger and badder, giving the guys a run for their money.